Power rankings roundup: Exceeding expectations in Atlanta

Well this has been an exciting first week if you are a fan of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks opened the campaign with a 2-1 performance and you couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season. Trae Young like he cannot be guarded and the rookies appear to be very competent in their starting roles. With that said, let’s take a look at where the Hawks rank in this week’s power ranking roundup.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com moves the Hawks up to No. 16 after an impressive opening week performance from Young.

To go from the Lottery to the postseason, you have to pass at least one playoff team from the season before. And the Hawks got their season started right with wins over the Pistons and Magic. Trae Young, the league’s leading scorer, is 11-for-20 from 3-point range (including 3-for-4 from 30 feet and beyond) and sealed the win over Orlando with a step-back off the glass on Saturday. But the Hawks have outscored their opponents, 120-86, in the paint, with Young, John Collins and Jabari Parker all totaling at least 20 point points over the two games. The win in Detroit (98 possessions for the Hawks, 96 for the Pistons) would have been Atlanta’s slowest paced game last season.

In keeping to the tradition of “weekly power rankings,” Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports puts Atlanta at No. 4 after the team’s 2-0 start.

If you were wondering if Trae Young could keep up his blistering pace from last season’s phenomenal second half, the answer is yes. Young has been transcendent in his first two games, putting up huge numbers and hitting huge shots in wins over the Pistons and Magic. More importantly, they’ve been able to hold their opponents to 100 and 99 points, respectively. If Young keeps this up and the defense can just not be horrific, the Hawks have a real shot at the playoffs. But those are big ifs.

#EvenTheHawks got moved up to No. 16 over at ESPN after an impressive first week.

Trae Young has been living up to his nickname “Ice Trae” so far. Young averaged 38.5 points in 36.5 minutes over his first two contests, while shooting 70.7% from the field and 55% from 3-point range. But a big test comes early this week for Young and the undefeated Hawks: Philadelphia comes to town Monday night. -- Spears

Michael Shapiro of SI.com puts Atlanta at No. 15 and points out his thoughts on Atlanta in the first week and wonders if the team is ahead of schedule.

Trae Young is among the league’s most gifted passers. If he unleashes Curry-esque bombs consistently, look out. Atlanta could be gunning for the playoffs ahead of schedule.

Finally, Tommy Beer of Yahoo Sports continues with the trend and moves the Hawks up to No. 15 overall.

The Hawks have played two games this season. They’ve won them both. And, in each game, Trae Young has scored at least 38 points, grabbed at least seven boards and dished out at least nine dimes. He’s the first player in NBA history with 38/7/9 in each of the first two games of a season.

Well, it appears that everyone across the board moved the Hawks up after a very successful start to the 2019 campaign. It would be aggressive for Atlanta to stay this hot, however it is very encouraging to see the young players continue to develop and the rookies play like they are not rookies.

Anyway do you think the rankings are accurate this week?

Let us know.